TAP lays first offshore pipes

The first offshore pipes for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) have been laid in Albanian waters.

Steel pipes were welded together onboard Saipem’s pipelay
barge Castoro 10, before the welds were
then tested and the pipeline lowered onto the seabed.

The first 1.8 km of welded pipe was pulled ashore and the
139 m long vessel is continuing to lay pipe in the shallow waters.

TAP is an 878 km
pipeline that will transport gas from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan
through the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, providing a gateway
to deliver up to 10 billion m3/a of new Caspian gas supplies to
Europe from 2020.

The offshore pipeline section will be 105 km long upon
completion and will link the Albanian and Italian coasts.

Of the pipes laid on the Adriatic seabed, 37 km will be in
Albanian waters, 25 km in Italian waters and 43 km in international waters.

Approximately 9,000 pipes measuring 36 inches (914 mm) in
diameter will be used for the job, with the deepest section of the pipeline to
be more than 810 m below sea level.